Silence Your Inner Critic

Every single human being has two voices battling it out inside their head. The one voice is our champion, encouraging us to feel confident and to reach our fullest potential.

Then there’s that other voice that is critical of every move we make. This is our inner critic and it examines our perceived flaws under a microscope and brings them to our attention. This voice tells us we can’t do anything right and we’ll never amount to anything.

Now ask yourself, which voice is doing the most talking in your life? If you’re like most people, your inner critic is the loudest and getting your attention the most. Ever wish you could tell it to just shut up?

Here are some powerful ways you can silence your inner critic once and for all:

Be more mindful

In order to silence your inner critic, you must first become aware of it. You cannot change what you are not aware of, right? And this is where mindful meditation comes in.

When we practice being mindful, we tune into the here and now and become FULLY aware of the present. The more you practice mindfulness, the more aware you will be when that negative voice inside you begins to speak.

In addition, mindfulness teaches us that we are not our thoughts, we are the observer of them. Soon you will begin to choose which thoughts to focus on more carefully. This is a powerful shift that can change your life!

Stop comparing yourself to others

In a world where 24/7 social media would have us believe that everyone else is smarter, thinner, richer, and generally better than we are, it’s hard not to compare ourselves to others. But doing so only gives your inner critic ammunition to use against you.

Practice self-compassion

You would never treat others the way you often treat yourself. Begin to treat yourself with the compassion you would someone else. No one is perfect. But we are all worthy of love, kindness, and respect. Start showing yourself more love, kindness, and respect everyday. And you can do this by practicing self-compassion.

Activity: Confronting your inner critic

• Develop a regular meditation practice that promotes mindfulness. Being mindful of when you are self-critical, how often does this happen in any given day?
• Pay attention to when you compare yourself to other people. What can you do instead in those moments?
• Saying something nice to yourself about yourself is a demonstration of self-compassion. What can you say regularly (e.g., "I did that well.") that represents you being kinder to yourself?

Hopefully these tips help you to silence your inner critic. If you’d like more help on building your confidence and self-esteem, please get in contact with me. I work to empower my clients to become the best version of themselves and have the life they want.